Ratner, Vindicated at Last, Talks About the Seven-Year Battle for Brooklyn
by Net Income on Jun 11, 2011 9:11 PM EDT
in Brooklyn
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PrintThe Nets simply refer to Bruce Ratner nowadays as the developer of Barclays Center. He hasn't been principal owner since last May when Mikhail Prokhorov took control of 80% of the team. He is, like a lot of the old investors, a minority owner, but as Stefan Bondy writes, he's something else: vindicated.
"Groundbreaking alone was vindication of sorts," Ratner says. "But, of course, the final frosting on the vindication cake will be when we open the doors."
In the process, he's been vilified by the critics of his Atlantic Yards project and he and his fellow investors have lost "several hundred million dollars", according to David Stern (and public records).
Still, as each piece of steel rises and precast concrete is laid down, Barclays Center is seen as good news for the Nets. The critics continue to complain, loudly, that it's not good for Brooklyn and a new documentary on their failed struggle has gotten them press again.
Bottom line, as Ratner and Prokhorov might have said, but Borough President Marty Markowitz did, "In spite of seven years of the worst lawsuits and public opposition and rallies and protests and lies and threats and cursing and, you name it, we came through it, and Brooklyn is going to be the better for it."
- Bruce Ratner finds vindication as Nets' new digs take shape in Brooklyn - Stefan Bondy - New York Daily News
- Daily News basketball writer declares Ratner has found "vindication" since "The proof is in the construction site" - Norman Oder - Atlantic Yards Report
- Community Enters New Phase In Atlantic Yards Fight - Paul Leonard - Patch
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He will never be vindicated
Bruce Ratner will forever be slime. I’ll never forget that he bought our team without ever seeing a game himself, taking a franchise who owned the Eastern conference and sold our pieces to build apartments in Brooklyn. The greatest thing he could ever do for this franchise is leave it. It’s an action that gives us incredible hope for the future and CEMENTS his status as an eyesore to what used to be.
Timeless - The 2001-2003 NJ Nets
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nima3dmLrcw
far more complicated than that.
and without his plan for the Brooklyn arena, no one would have bought the team….NO ONE.
Which is why it will give us incredible hope, but it doesn’t absolve him.
Timeless - The 2001-2003 NJ Nets
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nima3dmLrcw
At this point, I don't care
what’s done is done. Ratner’s ownership is done. Thorn’s bad picks are done. His distress sales, brought on by the need to stanch losses, are done. Kiki is done.
Ratner is right now in his right role: as developer. He is currently the city’s biggest developer (and Brooklyn’s biggest developer ever) and the arena is a month ahead of schedule.
The Nets have the richest owner in American sports who in spite of being unable to sign the big free agents has invested in basketball operations wisely and proficiently.
As for the end of the championship team, so be it. Kittles played 11 games after being traded by the Nets. Harris played half a season in Cleveland. Over seven seasons of his Nugget contract, which the Nets would have had to match, KMart’s bad knees caused him to miss more than 185 games. The issue was not keeping them, but not spending to replace them….and do recall until 2007-08, the Nets were a luxury tax team, with one of the seven highest payrolls in the league.
I agree with all points
It’s a little weird that the talk of vindication is coming from him, or maybe it’s just telling?
Timeless - The 2001-2003 NJ Nets
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nima3dmLrcw
I get it now. We only want to veiw the product on the court.
I don’t for the life of me, think Proky would have bought the team as previously constructed(in debt) with Kidd, Carter and Jeffersons contract. I think Ratner had a vision that was to big for him to handle and for fans to have patience for.
by Zartan on Jun 12, 2011 5:03 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
he overreached
it’s his history. Most of the time it worked for him.
He simply thought he could buy out all the property owners…and if he had succeeded in buying out Goldstein early, it would have been over early. That building was absolutely critical.
I get it now. We only want to veiw the product on the court.
I don’t for the life of me, think Proky would have bought the team as previously constructed(in debt) with Kidd, Carter and Jeffersons contract. I think Ratner had a vision that was to big for him to handle and for fans to have patience for.
by Zartan on Jun 12, 2011 8:23 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
So the two-time defending ECF Champ was going to what--
be contracted? Stop being so dramatic. The team would’ve ended up in Newark with the Devils. I know for a FACT that there were multiple offers being prepared to keep the team in NJ. Bruce Ratner is quite possibly the worst thing to ever happen to this franchise, as Jigga elaborated.
Dr. J~Super Buck~Draz~JKidd~Deron
Well I'm not saying he's the worst thing to happen to us.
Just that his positives and negatives should be clearly define, and that one doesn’t diminish the other.
Timeless - The 2001-2003 NJ Nets
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nima3dmLrcw
offers being prepared are not offers
if the offers were serious, they would have been made. They weren’t and everyone seems to forget one itsby-bitsy thing: the NBA wanted Ratner to win. They were tired of NJ politicians wavering on the Newark arena (which was conceived in corruption FAR worse than anything in Brooklyn) and whose owners have not paid a dime to the city in rent.
How ironic
NI, I find it an irony that you say that building an arena in Newark is based on corruption, but you turn a blind eye into the one in Brooklyn is doing. The only reason why an arena wasn’t built in Newark sooner was mainly because nobody wanted to pay for it as the Yankees-Nets organization wanted to be like, which is different from just wanting it there. When Vanderbeek built it, he did not use eminent domain or taxpayer dollars to build the Prudential Center, he bought the land at a fair value and paid for it by himself. If he was asking for any money back it was just on what he felt that he didn’t owe and that was it. As for Ratner, he believes that he can force someone to sell their property with the threat of the government if they choose not to. An even bigger irony was that Bertha Lewis, who is the head of the NYC division for ACORN, called the proposed Wal-Mart a bait and switch while ignoring that on the AY plan that she was part of.
by Tal Barzilai on Jun 12, 2011 6:33 PM EDT up reply actions
not on the same level
and when the mayor of the city of New York is incarcerated, then we can compare notes. You seem to think that eminent domain is the greatest evil out there. That is very silly.
Carry on, Tal.
Something you keep missing
Net Income, I don’t oppose eminent domain, because it’s needed for public projects, I oppose the abuse of this, which is what Ratner is using. Any politician who supports this is corrupt and selling their souls to him. Bloomberg is just as corrupt and in some cases even worse than what Booker has done. How can Bloomberg say that there is hardly any money to keep public schools, firehouses, hospitals and even senior centers open, but he didn’t mind using that very same taxpayer dollars to spend on so many bike lanes, pedestrian plazas and islands, charter schools, and especially new sports facilities for the Mets, Yankees, and even Nets? Didn’t he say that the city was broke, so how is there money for this? As usual, Bloomberg always puts his pet projects and rich buddies ahead of the people. If that’s not corruption, then I don’t know what is. Let’s not forget that he even amended the law so he can run for a third term when he was originally against that. Then again, just like any other supporter, you try to make it as if the end will justify the means.
by Tal Barzilai on Jun 12, 2011 10:03 PM EDT up reply actions
It was never about the fans
Ratner never even thought once about the existing fan base for the Nets. His main reason to buy the Nets was to just get another piece of real estate for himself. The Nets were nothing but his Trojan Horse to please the needed politicians to give their support for him. The minute fans heard that he wanted to move the team to Brooklyn, they started dropping and didn’t like the fact that any seasons left in NJ was nothing more than a lame duck. How do you think fans in Charlotte felt when they lost the Hornets, Vancouver when losing the Grizzlies, or Seattle when losing the Sonics? I could even go at other points with other teams, but I will stick with the more recent ones. Let me remind you that most fans actually oppose the move, not support it. The ones that support are actually the minority, which many of you fall under. I dare all of you supporters to go to a Nets game next season and ask the fans there what they think about the move to Brooklyn, and I am sure that many of them will agree with me more than they will with you. If you think their fan base is small now, just wait until they are going to a place where generations of Knicks fans live.
by Tal Barzilai on Jun 12, 2011 6:26 PM EDT up reply actions
here is the difference Tal
the Sonics, hornets and Grizzlies all moved very far away, the Nets are moving 13 miles away…
Still the same to me
If it means that a city or state will lose part of their identity, it’s a major loss for them.
by Tal Barzilai on Jun 12, 2011 10:04 PM EDT up reply actions
Im happy this team is moving to Brooklyn
But your comment is false NI. Ratner had to outbid the Corzine group for the team and as the story goes, Katz overlooked a last moment fax from Corzine outbidding Ratner because Katz had business ties to Ratner..
Or is that you are saying no one would buy them after the rat stripped and gutted the team?
Dont act like there was not another bidder when the rat bought them.
The Ratner bid was $33 million higher
and all cash. What story? “As the story goes”? That’s the best you can do.
“Corzine Group”? It was Corzine and Kushner who went to jail a couple of years later for acts that he had already committed by the time of the bid.
I despise Ratner as much as anyone
but to tell the truth, the team he bought and he destroyed in the summer of 2004 didn’t own the EC anymore, just a good playoff team.
those critics can kiss my @%$...
What a bunch of hypocrites…now theyre tryin to make dough off of the arena. We should all feel vindicated. Brooklyn Stand UP!!!
by SteViePoPzBK on Jun 11, 2011 9:25 PM EDT via mobile reply actions
False!
Many of them were told either to sell to Ratner or lose it through eminent domain, while not wanting to sell was never an option. The ESDC was even known for making threats to them if they refused to give up their property. As a matter of fact, this is all stated in the film, The Battle for Brooklyn, and I suggest that everyone here sees that film while it’s still in NYC. None of you have any legitmacy to criticize a film you have never even bothered to see, and this reminds me of all the people who attacked Michael Moore’s films without even seeing them first, and one of the biggest excuses to that is the fear that going to see them will give him money to help make more documentaries. Until you do see that film, you can’t say anything against it. BTW, Oder got an article printed on Dissent Magazine about this very film, and please read the article.
by Tal Barzilai on Jun 12, 2011 6:14 PM EDT up reply actions
It was worth it
For all the heat Ratner gets about his abysmal stint as owner, he deserves a ton of credit for his ability to reach his ultimate objective — Brooklyn, which will benefit our team for generations to come. Thanks Bruce!
by nynjlawyer on Jun 11, 2011 9:40 PM EDT via mobile reply actions
Its great for the Nets to move to Brooklyn no doubt
But do you really think Ratner cared about the Nets in building the arena? The Nets were just the necessary pawn in his real estate venture. He cared less about them other than to use them as a tool.
If it were not for the housing debacle and the real estate collapse, Prokorov would have never been invited to the “party” and Rat would have left this team stripped and ripped.
Would Prokorov come to buy them without the real estate ties? Remember, no credit market collapse, no need for outside funding…We would have forever hated the Rat.
What's done is done
I’m looking forward to a bright future in Brooklyn, which wouldn’t have been possible without Ratner.
by nynjlawyer on Jun 11, 2011 11:09 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Wow,
thats a pretty liberal look back at what happened to say the least.
Ratner's plan
was to get the team into the arena by 2006 and then sell the team…and a significant share of the arena.. One of the other investors and he had discussed a sale. That failed because Ratner underestimated the resistance he would face.
It was all about real estate long term. Duh. Everyone knows that. He never wanted the team. The team was a means to the end.
Why do I care how it came to be? The Nets have the richest owner in sports (other than an Indian billionaire who qualifies as No. 1 because he owns a cricket team.)
No it wasn't
Sorry nynjlawyer, but there is no justification for this at all. However, I guess to some like yourself, you will try to believe that the end justifies the means no matter what it takes. Just as long as it takes to get what you want, you just don’t care what was use to get it even if it involved something like murder. Ratner is not a saviour, he is a developer and nothing more. I still can’t believe that you are still drinking that koolaid in believing that he will keep his word when he will just lie to you in the end and will tell you that he isn’t repsonsible for not holding up.
by Tal Barzilai on Jun 12, 2011 6:40 PM EDT up reply actions
Still doesn't make it right
A ruling from some judges doesn’t always mean that the decision was right, and I have given some examples of where the US Supreme Court made rulings that actually justified discrimination. Let’s not forget that the judge who favored the new stadium for the Yankees actually got his own suite at the new stadium once it was built as a reward, and I won’t be surprised if the judge who gave the geen light for this abuse will get the same. It just shows that with friends in high places, you can get away with anything, because they will always be on their side as if they are in bed together.
by Tal Barzilai on Jun 12, 2011 10:08 PM EDT up reply actions
WHOSE TAL??
what does tht mean??? i keep seeing it
Brook Lopez is the MAN!
----
I don't really hate Outlaw, its just fun to make fun of him
He's a poster who loathes the move to Brooklyn
"I just copped me an all-things, a professional ball team
Tell me I ain't the illest hustler ya'll seen"
ive never seen a Tal
is Tal like a nickname or something?
Brook Lopez is the MAN!
----
I don't really hate Outlaw, its just fun to make fun of him
Here
http://www.sbnation.com/users/Tal%20Barzilai
"I just copped me an all-things, a professional ball team
Tell me I ain't the illest hustler ya'll seen"
ite thanks lol
Brook Lopez is the MAN!
----
I don't really hate Outlaw, its just fun to make fun of him
by netsareboss on Jun 11, 2011 10:17 PM EDT up reply actions
Very funny.......................NOT!
I find that to be very insulting. I can never understand why do you guys who support this so much always have to make some kind of a personal attack on anyone who is against it. Some of you tend to act like little children when you are probably adults. For the record, I have nothing against those that choose to disagree with me, but I do have something against those that made such remarks like that. Also, I have been very respectfull and tolerant to those that don’t agree with me. Just as much as you guys have a right to having your position on this, I have a right to mine whether you like or not. One other thing, just because I don’t like something, doesn’t mean that I am stopping others from liking it. BTW, I have NEVER forced anyone to agree with me, so knock it off right now and apologize immediately!
by Tal Barzilai on Jun 12, 2011 6:47 PM EDT up reply actions
The rat is a sleazeball
Hes destroyed a championship with his penny pinching. He was the worst owner in sports for awhile. He made that idiot that owns the knicks look like jerry buss
by NetsDynasty on Jun 11, 2011 10:00 PM EDT via mobile reply actions
Thank you!
I am glad that you see Ratner for what he really is just like I do unlike many others here.
by Tal Barzilai on Jun 12, 2011 6:43 PM EDT up reply actions
We are limited to either Associated Press photos
or those whose rights we have express permission to use. Alas, no such photos were available to us.
Speaking of rats
There were actually some recents reports of rats crawling around that construction site, and it was mentioned on No Land Grab.
by Tal Barzilai on Jun 12, 2011 6:59 PM EDT up reply actions
So everybody gets what they wanted! Yay!
Ratner: money, developments in the future
Prok: team in NY
Net Fans: rich owner, “bright” future maybe
NJ Net fans: something else maybe, idk.
Jersey fans
get a pretty balanced picture. Devils in Newark, Giants and Jets in East Rutherford, Red Bulls in Harrison. Nets, Yankees, Mets, Knicks and Rangers all in New York. Really doesn’t matter much what the name is…at least to me. I’ve lived in New Jersey all my life, worked in New York for 30 years. Loyal to one doesn’t mean disloyalty to the other.
by Net Income on Jun 12, 2011 8:28 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
If they suddenly became the “New Jersey Jets”, it wouldn’t effect me at all. I’d love them just the same. I doesn’t matter.
On June 29th, 2001, the New Jersey Nets and the Phoenix Suns agreed to a trade involving Stephon Marbury and Jason Kidd.
On February 23rd, 2011, the New Jersey Nets and the Utah Jazz agreed to a trade involving Devin Harris and Deron Williams.
A new beginning. LETS GO NETS!
*It
That being said, I’d understand the frustration of a “Kansas City Nets” or something along those lines.
On June 29th, 2001, the New Jersey Nets and the Phoenix Suns agreed to a trade involving Stephon Marbury and Jason Kidd.
On February 23rd, 2011, the New Jersey Nets and the Utah Jazz agreed to a trade involving Devin Harris and Deron Williams.
A new beginning. LETS GO NETS!
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